HOURS OF OPERATION

Today, Thursday, May 6, our parking lot will be closed all day to accommodate our Rick Riordan event. We especially encourage customers to use carpools and public transportation.

 

Click here for our events calendar and preview upcoming events through May.
 Click here for more complete descriptions and to buy signed copies online.
Members always save 20% on event books. Click here to register!

 

MOTHER'S DAY

In honor of Mother's Day, we have compiled a list of books that we have loved, and that we think the important mothers in your life will enjoy. You can see a few of our reviews below. You may also ask one of our booksellers or click here for more selections.

At both entrances to the store, on the lower level between the coffeeshop and the Children's Department and to the left when you walk in the front door, we have a display of the biggest and best Mother's Day card selection in town. Please come in the store to browse and choose the ones that are best for the mothers in your life!

We would also like to draw your attention to our Book-a-Month Gift Program. With our help, you can easily give the gift of carefully hand-selected books for your mother all year round. When you talk with our gift program coordinator, Caroline Ketcham, you can design the selections to your budget and your mother's reading preferences, interests, hobbies, and favorite writers, so that you can benefit from our booksellers' knowledge and skill throughout the year! We are happy to call or e-mail the gift recipient to discuss book selections and areas of literary interest. Click here for more information!

SALE ON GARDENING BOOKS

Perhaps your mother is a gardener? Throughout the month of May, Politics & Prose members will receive 20% off all gardening books. You can click here for a sample of our recommendations, with an emphasis on selections for the Washington-area gardener with limited space and organic inclinations.

GIFTS FOR GRADUATES

While the gift of a Book-a-Month is also a wonderful idea for a high school or college graduate, we have put particular thought into items which students might need as they approach the next phase of the life. Our four unique Graduation Gift Bags, tailored for the high school or college level, combine practical reference guides with essential, inspirational classics handpicked by the Politics & Prose staff. Each one comes carefully packaged in a sturdy P&P anniversary tote. Click here to see the options and provide a reward to a deserving graduate for his or her hard work!

 

Go back to top of email

 

This is just a small introduction to the many titles available, which we think mothers may enjoy — please ask one of the booksellers or click here for more suggestions.

DOROTHEA LANGE: A Life Beyond Limits by Linda Gordon (W.W. Norton, $35)
Over 100 of Lange’s photos accompany this absorbing chronicle of a well-developed life. Beginning her career as a society photographer, Lange she was inspired by the New Deal to travel the nation as a documentary photographer.

LOUISA MAY ALCOTT: The Woman Behind Little Women by Harriet Reisen (Holt, $26)
The Alcotts were part of the Transcendentalist group of Concord, Mass., a group of men and women whose ideas were well in advance of mid-nineteenth century America. Louisa’s father tried to earn a living as a schoolteacher, but it wasn’t until Louisa’s writings became so famous that the family escaped their poverty. The period and the person are both fascinating.

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS by Rebecca Skloot (Crown, $26)
In this unusual mixture of science and social history, science writer Skloot shows how the cells of a poor African American, Henrietta Lacks, were grown in a culture at Johns Hopkins Hospital and contributed to many scientific breakthroughs. Her impoverished family never knew that Henrietta Lacks’s immortality contributed to science in so many ways; the book exposes the fault lines of race and class in Baltimore.

THE LAKE SHORE LIMITED by Sue Miller (Knopf, $25)
Sue Miller’s lovely, touching book about the complications of the lives of middle-aged men and women revolves around a new play "The Lake Shore Limited" being tried out in Boston. Miller weaves the story like a piece of music, focusing chapters on four lead characters, all of whom are expertly portrayed. - Carla Cohen

Click here for more of our booksellers' recommendations for mothers!

Click here for suggestions that young children can share with their moms!

 

Go back to top of email

 

Thursday, May 13, 7 p.m.
NOURIEL ROUBINI
CRISIS ECONOMICS (Penguin Press, $27.95)
at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Studying global history, statistics, mathematical models, and other evidence, Roubini, professor of economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business and co-author Stephen Mihm, an associate professor of economic history at the University of Georgia, were the first economists to predict the current downturn. The authors argue that economic crises are part of capitalism but are both foreseeable and preventable. Please note: Stephen Mihm will not be present for this event.

Click here to receive two free author event admission tickets with $27.95 book purchase from P&P or click here to purchase $12 without the book. 

Go back to top of email

 

INNOCENT
signed by Scott Turow
(Grand Central, $27.99)
Hardcover - May 2010
First editions, first printings

With his new release, Scott Turow revisits the life of Rusty Sabich twenty five years later. Jonathan Yardley reviewed this sequel to Presumed Innocent last Sunday, and he let us know that that there are:

enough surprises ... to keep the reader's attention fixed. . . [A]s usual in his fiction there's more than skillful legal drama. Turow is a serious man who has thought long and carefully about the law. He understands that in the end it is not really much better than any other mechanism at uncovering absolute truth; that the courtroom is a roll of the dice "where the million daily details of a life suddenly get elevated to evidence of murder"; that life itself is a crapshoot -- "The joke was thinking you were ever really in charge of your life. You pressed your oar down into the water to direct the canoe, but it was the current that shot you through the rapids. You just hung on and hoped not to hit a rock or a whirlpool." All of which makes for an intelligent, thoughtful novel: a grownup book for grownup readers.

Pick up a copy for yourself or for your favorite fan of legal thrillers.

Go back to top of email

 

P&P members always save 20% on our top twelve FICTION and NON-FICTION hardcover bestsellers. To purchase these books, click the titles.

FICTION

#1    THE DOUBLE COMFORT SAFARI CLUB by Alexander McCall Smith (Pantheon, $24.95)
# 2   A Question of Belief by Donna Leon (Atlantic Monthly, $24)
# 3   Anthill by E. O. Wilson (W. W. Norton, $24.95)
# 4   The Lake Shore Limited by Sue Miller (Knopf, $24.95)
# 5   Every Last One by Anna Quindlen (Random House, $26)
# 6   Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson (Random House, $25)
# 7   Solar by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese, $26.95)
# 8   The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Amy Einhorn, $24.95)
# 9   This Body of Death by Elizabeth George (HarperCollins, $28.99)
#10  Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende (HarperCollins, $26.99)
#11  Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott (Riverhead, $25.95)
#12  Super by Jim Lehrer (Random House, $25)

NONFICTION

#1   THE BIG SHORT by Michael Lewis (W.W. Norton, $27.95)
# 2  The Council of Dads: My Daughters, My Illness, and the Men Who Could Be Me by Bruce Feiler (Morrow, $22.99)
# 3  The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Crown, $26)
# 4  Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (HarperCollins, $27.99)
# 5  Parisians: An Adventure History of Paris by Graham Robb (W.W. Norton, $28.95)
# 6  Crossing Mandelbaum Gate: Coming of Age Between the Arabs and Israelis, 1956-1978 by Kai Bird (Scribner, $30)
# 7  The Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama by David Remnick (Knopf, $25.95)
# 8  13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown by Simon Johnson and James Kwak (Pantheon, $26.95)
# 9  Cyber War: The Next Threat to National Security and What to Do About It by Richard A. Clarke and Robert Knake (Ecco, $25.99)
#10  The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas (Little, Brown, $29.99)
#11  Supreme Power: Franklin Roosevelt vs. the Supreme Court by Jeff Shesol (W.W. Norton, $27.95)
#12  Spoken from the Heart by Laura Bush (Scribner, $30)

 

 

Go back to top of emaii

 

LUNA PARK by Kevin Baker (Vertigo, $24.99)

Pick up this book, and open it to any page, because a glance at its high-contrast cover alone won't give you any idea of the subtleties of Danijel Zezelj's suffused, low-saturation coloring. LUNA PARK's atmospheric artistry opens up the sinister life of the Russian emigre mafia — think Viggo Mortensen's film Eastern Promises (Universal, $12.98) — but it doesn't stop there. Taking the life of Russian immigrants in Brighton Beach and the now-shuttered Coney Island as its starting point, Luna Park delves deeper into Russian history, from the Chechen Wars to the Golden Horde (with a tip of the hat to some of the best of Russian art and literature along the way), then splintering off anachronistically into an altogether different American story. Like fractured funhouse mirrors, the ethereal depictions give a warped but illuminating peek at betrayal and its role in history. - Lila Stiff

If you like this genre, consider participating in the Graphic Novel Bookgroup which meets the fourth Wednesday of every month.  Click here to see more Graphic Literature recommendations.

Go back to top of emaii

 

 These two titles were both store favorites when they were in hardcover. Click FICTION or NON-FICTION to browse a more complete selection of recent paperback releases.

WOODSBURNER by John Pipkin (Anchor, $15.95)

WILDERNESS WARRIOR: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America by Douglas Brinkley (Harper Perennial, $19.99)

Go back to top of emaii

 

If you can't attend a talk, but would like to reserve a signed copy or a recorded author talk,
click the title links to purchase online. P&P members save 20% on these author event titles.

Thursday May 6

J&P Voelkel - The Jaguar Stones *OFFSITE SCHOOL EVENT*
10:30 a.m. Fourteen-year-old Max goes to Central America to join his parents--but when he arrives, they’re missing. With the help of Lola, a Mayan girl, Max discovers the Jaguar Stones’ secrets and sets off to save his parents and the Mayan world. (Ages 9-12)

Rick Riordan - The Kane Chronicles, Book One: The Red Pyramid
5  p.m. The author of Percy Jackson and the Olympians will present and sign his new book, which begins a new series and introduces his fans to an entirely different pantheon of gods! Carter and Sadie Kane are working on a research experiment with their Egyptologist father when the Egyptian god Set is unleashed, banishing Dr. Kane and forcing the children to flee.  As all the gods of Egypt awake, the Kane family is set on a dangerous quest that leads them back to a secret in the time of the pharaohs.  (Ages 10-14) Click here for important details about your pre-purchased books and other event details.

Lisa Shannon - A Thousand Sisters
7 p.m. In 2005 Shannon was deeply disturbed by reports of violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Looking for ways to help, she established Run for Congo Women, a global, grass-roots organization that raises money for Congolese victims of rape and torture and publicizes their plight. Her book chronicles her activism and profiles some of the Congolese women she has sponsored.

Friday May 7

Graham Robb - Parisians
7 p.m. Robb follows his geographical and historical tour, The Discovery of France, with this series of true but little-known incidents in the lives of some of the City of Light’s best-known figures. From Marie Antoinette’s becoming lost on the Left Bank through the wanderings of Baudelaire, Baron Haussmann and Proust, to the era of de Gaulle, Robb presents fresh, vivid snippets of Parisian history.

Saturday May 8

Howell S. Baum - Brown in Baltimore
1 p.m. When the Baltimore school board voted to desegregate in compliance with the 1954 Brown decision, it left integration voluntary. Baum argues that Baltimore, while free of the violence and resistance to integration that occurred in some Southern cities, allowed its liberal beliefs to foreclose further discussion of race, a situation that continues.

Todd Kliman - The Wild Vine
6 p.m. The Norton grape was developed in the mid-1880s and was briefly the great hope for a fine American wine. Kept alive through Prohibition by bootleggers, the hybrid is again taking root in wine-growing regions. Kliman, food and wine editor at The Washingtonian, tells a fascinating story that encompasses viniculture, history, and colorful characters.

Sunday May 9

Happy Mother's Day!!
We have already begun thinking about the gifts we would like to receive and to share this year. You can see our suggestions and wish lists by clicking here. We would also like to suggest a unique Mother's Day Gift  -- our Book-a-Month Gift Program. With our help, you can easily give the gift of carefully hand-selected books for your mother all year round. Click here for more information!

Monday May 10

Richard Clarke - Cyber War
7 p.m. Warning that cyber war is as dangerous as terrorism, the authors describe cyber weapons, list likely targets, and point out the vulnerability of our power grids, aircraft, and security apparatus. Clarke, former Special Advisor to the President for Cyberspace Security, and co-author Robert Knake, currently a principal at Good Harbor Consulting, argue that the U.S. is already seriously behind in fighting this latest threat.

Tuesday May 11

Henry Winkler - A Brand New Me!
5 p.m. Hank Zipzer is ready to graduate from elementary school, but to go on to Middle School, he needs to take several standardized tests. Worried that his learning differences are an obstacle to his future, he finds his true gift when he auditions for a performing-arts school. (Ages  8-10)

Isobel Coleman - Paradise Beneath Her Feet
7 p.m. Islamic feminism is a growing movement throughout the Middle East. Looking at progressive activists in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, Coleman, a senior fellow for U.S. Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, shows how men and women are working within the tenets of Islam to foster greater political, social, and educational opportunities for women.

Wednesday May 12

Deborah Wiles - Countdown
10:30 a.m. Set in 1962 and dedicated to the peacemakers, in this first book in a trilogy about the 1960s, Franny learns to duck-and-cover at school. Her father is an Air Force pilot, her older sister joins SNCC and CORE, and her younger brother wants to be an astronaut.   Adding to the tension, President Kennedy’s address about nuclear missiles in Cuba. (Ages 9-13)

Kristin Van Ogtrop - Just Let Me Lie Down
6:30 p.m. THIS EVENT IS SOLD OUT
Kristin van Ogtrop knows she's lucky--fulfilling career as Real Simple editor-in-chief, great husband, three healthy kids, and, depending on the hamster count, an impressive roster of pets. She also knows she is tired. Always. Using stories and insights from her own life, she provides a lexicon for the half-insane working mom. Filled with essays, lists, and resonant observations, her new book establishes van Ogtrop as the Erma Bombeck of the new millennium.

Evan Thomas - The War Lovers
7 p.m. Thomas, Newsweek editor and author of Sea of Thunder, presents a psychological interpretation of the Spanish-American War, arguing that Teddy Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst played up minor incidents into a major conflict in order to assuage personal issues of courage and manhood dating back to their fathers’ failure to fight in the Civil War.

Thursday May 13

Daniel Okrent - Last Call
7 p.m. The Eighteenth Amendment, Prohibition, went into effect in 1920 and was repealed in 1933. Okrent, author of books on Rockefeller Center, baseball, and his role as first public editor of the New York Times, is well-positioned to look at a wide range of influences on and consequences of this social experiment, including the Temperance and Suffrage movements, anti-immigrant sentiment, the role of the Ku Klux Klan, and the rise of organized crime.

Nouriel Roubini - Crisis Economics @ Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
7 p.m. Studying global history, statistics, mathematical models, and other evidence, Roubini, professor of economics at NYU’s Stern School of Business and co-author Mihm, an associate professor of economic history at the University of Georgia, were the first economists to predict the current downturn. The authors argue that economic crises are part of capitalism but are both foreseeable and preventable.  Note: Stephen Mihm will not be joining Nouriel Roubini at this event.  Two author event admission tickets are free with book purchase ($27.95) from P&P or are $12 each without the book. 

Friday May 14

LaChanze - Little Diva
10:30 a.m. Nena’s mother is a Broadway star and Nena wants to be just like her. She apprentices by following along as her mother prepares for a night on stage. Will Nena be able to practice her singing, acting, and dancing to make her dreams come true? Award-winning illustrator Brian Pinkney captures the spirit of this little diva with big dreams. (Ages 4-8)

Nathaniel Philbrick - The Last Stand
7 p.m. Philbrick follows his nautical bestsellers, In the Heart of the Sea and Sea of Glory, with this vivid account of General Custer’s defeat. While Custer lost his battle against the Plains Indian tribes led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, the event also proved to be the Plains Indians’ own last stand.

Saturday May 15

Nan Chase - Eat Your Yard
1 p.m. Plants provide nuts, seeds, and fruits in addition to ambiance. Chase, an Asheville-based writer on landscaping and architecture, focuses on 35 types of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbs, parts of which can be eaten, cooked, or preserved. She includes recipes and tips for canning.

John Biewen and contributors - Reality Radio
6  p.m. Radio programs such as This American Life, Story Corps, and Radio Lab continually break new ground. Biewen, audio program director at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies, has gathered 19 essays by the journalists, storytellers, and audio artists involved in this innovative audio documentary work.  With contributors Katie Davis, Bob Edwards and Joe Richman.

Sunday May 16

Jim Lehrer - Super
5 p.m. In his 20th novel, the prolific PBS NewsHour anchor focuses on the Santa Fe Railroad’s luxurious Super Chief, which traveled between Chicago and Los Angeles in 39 hours. Set in 1956 and based on actual events, the book is a murder mystery as well as a look at the train’s wealthy and glamorous passengers, including Clark Gable and former President Truman.

Go back to top of email

Politics & Prose supplies books to the following book signing events.
Reservations and tickets should be acquired from the hosting organization.
If you can't attend a talk, but would like to purchase a signed book, call
202-364-1919 or 1-800-722-0790 or click the title links below.

Thursday, May 6, 7:30 p.m.

George Washington University
Lisner Auditorium
730 21st St., NW (21st & H)
Metro: Foggy Bottom (Blue/Orange)
Smithsonian Resident Associates presents
LAURA BUSH
SPOKEN FROM THE HEART (Scribner, $30)
In this special evening, former First Lady Laura Bush is interviewed by Cokie Roberts, political analyst for ABC News and NPR. The book covers the highlights of her life as an inner-city school teacher and librarian before marrying George W. Bush. A transformational first lady, Mrs. Bush traveled to 75 countries to advocate on behalf of refugees and women's rights and is widely known as the founder of the Texas and National Book Festivals.

For more information or to purchase $28 tickets ($18 SRA Member, $16 Senior Member), please call (202) 633-3030. To purchase the book, click here. Please note that while we take requests, we are not assured of having enough signed copies available for customers who do not attend the event.

Saturday, May 8, 7 p.m.

at the Folger Shakespeare Library
201 East Capitol St., SE
PEN/Faulkner Presents
30TH ANNUAL PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FOR FICTION Ceremony and Dinner

Join us for an evening of celebration as we honor the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Winner--Sherman Alexie--and four finalists: Barbara Kingsolver, Lorraine M. Lopéz, Lorrie Moore, and Colson Whitehead.  A ceremony featuring readings by the five honorees and three judges will be followed by a dinner, catered by Susan Gage.  Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by phoning the Folger Box Office at 202-544-7077 or visiting www.folger.edu/penfaulkneraward.

Sunday, May 9, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Dupont Circle FRESHFARM Market
1500 block of 20th St., NW
between Massachusetts Ave. and Q St.
(in the parking lot adjacent to PNC Bank).
Metro: Dupont Circle (Red Line)

LOUISA SHAFIA
LUCID FOOD: Cooking for an Eco-Conscious Life (Ten Speed Press, $22.50)
FRESHFARM Markets will host a cooking demo and book signing with New York Chef Louisa Shafia, who will be cooking with fresh, seasonal ingredients from the Dupont Circle farmer's market. Her book is a collection of seasonal recipes paired with smart, friendly advice on green cooking, food shopping, and entertaining. Lucid Food has been hailed as "elegant, delicious, and absolutely beautiful" by world-renowned chef and cookbook author Marcus Samuelsson and has been nominated for a prestigious award from the International Association of Culinary Professionals for best cookbook of the year in the "Health and Diet" Category. It was also featured in a holiday selection of best gift cookbooks by Bonnie S. Benwick in The Washington Post. Please join us for this celebration of seasonal food!

Wednesday, May 12, 7 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

AYELET WALDMAN
BAD MOTHER: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities and Occasional Moments of Grace (Anchor, $14.95)
Let’s face it, when it comes to motherhood - if you work, you’re neglectful; if you stay home, you’re smothering; if you discipline, you’re buying them a spot on the shrink’s couch; if you buy organic, you’re spending their college fund. Is it any wonder so many women refer to themselves at one time or another as a "bad mother"? Waldman says it’s time for women to get over it and get on with it. Her New York Times bestseller, now out in paperback, illuminates the anxieties that riddle motherhood while providing women with the encouragement they need to give themselves a break. Waldman is also the author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits, Daughter's Keeper and the Mommy-Track Mysteries, and her now legendary New York Times “Modern Love” piece in which she confessed to loving her husband (Michael Chabon) more than her children. 

Click here to purchase advance tickets ($8 or one (1) FREE ticket with the purchase of the $15 book). Tickets are $10 the day of the event. If you have questions, please call 202.408.3100.

Wednesday, May 12, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
SALEEM H. ALI
TREASURES OF THE EARTH: Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future (Yale Univ., $30)

Would the world be a better place if human societies curbed their desires for material goods? In his provocative new book, scholar and environmental visionary Saleem H. Ali suggests that the answer is not so simple. He proposes a new environmental paradigm that accepts our need to consume resources, while urging conservation as well. Click here to purchase $18 tickets ($15, NG Members).

Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m

Friendship Heights Village Center
4433 S. Park Ave.
Chevy Chase, MD
CHRIS FARRELL
THE NEW FRUGALITY: How to Consume Less, Save More, and Live Better (Bloomsbury, $24) Farrell shows how the economic downturn can be an opportunity to reconsider what, why, and how much we consume. With an emphasis on changing the way we live to make the most of what we have, Mr. Farrell provides a new plan for a new economic reality - the philosophy and practice of living frugally.

In addition to being a correspondent and an editor for Marketplace Money, he is economics correspondent for the business program Marketplace and American Radio Works, and a contributing economics editor at Business Week magazine.

Please RSVP for this FREE event by calling the Village Center at 301-656-2797.

Thursday, May 13, 7:30 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
MARK W. MOFFETT
ADVENTURES AMONG ANTS: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions (Univ. of California, $29.95) Called “the Indiana Jones of entomology,” photographer and naturalist Mark Moffett has made it his mission to open our eyes to the small wonders of nature. His new book takes us into the world of ants, showing how they dominate their ecosystems through strikingly “human” behaviors. Join this explorer for an ant’s-eye view of the natural world. Moffett will also share the story of ants in a children’s program on May 15. Click here for $18 tickets ($15, NG Members).

Friday, May 14, 8:30 – 10:30 a.m.

Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center
Atrium Ballroom
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Metro :  Metro Center and Federal Triangle

MUHAMMAD YUNUS
BUILDING SOCIAL BUSINESS: The New Kind of Capitalism That Serves Humanity's Most Pressing Needs (PublicAffairs, $25.95)
Yunus, the practical visionary who pioneered microcredit and won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize with his Grameen Bank, has developed a visionary new dimension for capitalism which he calls "social business." By harnessing the energy of profit-making to the objective of fulfilling human needs, social business creates self-supporting, viable commercial enterprises that generate economic growth even as they produce goods and services that make the world a better place. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit hooksbookevents.com. A portion of the event proceeds will be donated to FONKOZE (www.fonkoze.org), Haiti's Alternative Bank for the Organized Poor.

Saturday, May 15, 1 p.m.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
MARK W. MOFFETT - "Dr. Bugs"
ADVENTURES AMONG ANTS: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillions (Univ. of California, $29.95) Known for his wacky sense of humor, and genuine love for the small wonders of nature, photographer and naturalist Mark Moffett, nicknamed “Dr. Bugs,” is a popular presenter for kids and adults alike. In addition to two dozen articles for National Geographic, Moffett is the author of a children’s book, Face to Face With Frogs, and articles for young people. Bring the whole family for an informative, lavishly illustrated afternoon with this entertaining scientist and explorer! Click here for $10 tickets; Children 12 and under - $6.

 

Monday, May 17, 7:30 PM.

National Geographic Society
1600 M Street, NW
JONATHAN WATERMAN
RUNNING DRY: A Journey From Source to Sea Down the Colorado (National Geographic, $26)
In 2008, author Jonathan Waterman traveled the length of the Colorado River to survey the health of the legendary waterway. In his National Geographic book, he details the story of an overtaxed river that fails to reach the ocean most years due to human demands. Join him for a look at images and stories of the river, the people who use its waters, and a discussion on how the river’s demise might be averted.

Click here for more information and to purchase $18 tickets ($15, NG Members).
Click here to purchase RUNNING DRY ($26).

Tuesday, May 18, 6:45 p.m.

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
600 I Street, NW
Metro: Gallery Place/Chinatown

The Ten: An Alternative Shavuot Experience
GOOD BOOK - David Plotz (Harper Perennial, $14.99)
GOD'S HARVARD - Hanna Rosin (Mariner Books, $14)
THE GREAT BOOK OF WASHINGTON, D.C. SPORTS LISTS - Andy Pollin (Running Press, $14.95)
Join us for THE TEN, an innovative take on the holiday traditionally celebrated by studying Torah and enjoying the fruits of the first harvest. Founding editor of DoubleX Hanna Rosin and Slate editor David Plotz will let loose on the Bible while a special chef cooks up a healthy dairy dish for all to taste. You’ll also have the chance to try out some yoga poses, bake fruit-studded challah with the founder of Challah for Hunger, and score an ethical debate with ESPN 980 Sports Director Andy Pollin. Stay late for THE TEN After 10 afterparty - unleashing provocative discussion questions every hour until dawn. FREE with advance RSVP at www.sixthandi.org. $6 on the day of the event. Questions? Please call 202.408.3100.

 

Go back to top of email

 

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
(20% off through 05/12/2010)

Chicken is terrified when a fox steals her away from a leisurely dinner party with all of her friends. Bear, Rabbit, and Rooster chase THE CHICKEN THIEF (Enchanted Lion, $14.95) through the woods, over the mountains, and across the wide ocean over many days on a quest to rescue their friend.  Finally, they catch up with Chicken and Fox on a faraway island - and find quite a different scene than the one they expected!  Beatrice Rodriguez's hilarious illustrations will allow you to tell this story of love, friendship, and adventure just the way you see it.  Ages 3-7.  Dana Chidiac

Come into the store or click here to check out our display of Mother's Day books!

Lisa Chaplin-Hobbs hosts story time for young children every Monday morning at 10:30 a.m.

For upcoming events and more from the Children and Teens' Department, click here.

 

 

Go back to top of email

Go back to top of email

 

TROUBADOURS
Barbra Streisand, ONE NIGHT ONLY: At the Village Vanguard (Columbia, DVD & CD, $19.98) – Ms Streisand did a special performance in New York’s most renowned jazz club last September to launch her CD, Love is the Answer. Backed by a quartet, she sings standards (“In the Wee Small Hours,” “Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered,” “Happy Days are Here Again,” “My Funny Valentine”) and her hits (“The Way We Were,” “Evergreen”).

Frank Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim, SINATRA/JOBIM: The Complete Reprise Recordings (Concord, $18.98) — Frank Sinatra got together with Antonio Carlos Jobim for recording sessions and a memorable television show in 1967. They followed with more sessions in 1969. Sinatra sings soft and low, getting into the spirit of bossa nova; the arrangements are by Claus Ogerman and Eumir Deodato. These are classic sides, and have been out of print for a long time; they return in fine remastered fashion.
 
Carole King  & James Taylor, LIVE AT THE TROUBADOUR (Hear Music, DVD & CD, $19.98) – Carole King and James Taylor first played  at L.A.’s Troubadour in 1970, and reunited there in 2007 to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary. They trade hit songs accompanied by long-time band mates Danny Kortchmar on guitar, Leland Sklar on bass, and Russ Kunkel on drums. King and Taylor are touring together this summer, stopping at the Verizon Center on June 8 and 23.
 
Catherine Russell, INSIDE THIS HEART OF MINE (World Village, $18.98) – Catherine Russell brings her smoky alto to jazz and blues songs from bygone eras, and makes them her own. Scott Simon did a nice interview with Ms Russell last Saturday, and she will be part of this year’s Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center on Friday, May 21.

Click here for more reviews and news. Please call us at 202-364-1919 to order these CDs.